Our Vision

At PPSI, we envision a world where prevention science fosters capable and healthy individuals and communities, contributing to legacies of well-being across generations. Our mission is to conduct cutting-edge research that promotes the healthy development of youth, adults, families, and communities. We achieve this through partnerships that bridge the gap between science and practical application, ensuring our findings lead to real-world impact.

Achievements

Over the past 25 years, PPSI and its collaborators have secured over $80 million in grants, primarily from the National Institutes of Health. Our initiatives have been praised for reducing substance abuse and promoting positive behaviors among high-risk youth.

Collaborations

Our work is built on a foundation of strong partnerships with communities, schools, and organizations, both nationally and internationally. These collaborations are crucial for translating research into practice and achieving sustainable public health outcomes.

An RCT of Family-Centered Ojibwe Substance Abuse Prevention

This is a multisite randomized controlled trial of a family-centered alcohol and drug prevention program for Anishinabe (Ojibwe) pre-adolescents aged 8-10 years. This program has been developed and adapted in partnership with multiple Anishinabe communities over a span of 13 years. The Bii-Zin-Da-De-Dah (BZDDD) (Listening to One Another) program was the first American Indian adaptation of the Iowa Strengthening Families Program.

Building Capacity for PROSPER Rx Implementation to Address the Opioid Epidemic in Rural Iowa

The ISU PROSPER Rx team is expanding and enhancing supports and tools for building and leveraging the capacity of Extension professionals, along with their state- and community-level partners, to move toward an evidence-based comprehensive community systems approach to addressing the opioid epidemic in underserved rural communities.

Rural Family and Community Drug Abuse Prevention Project (Project Family)

Initiated in 1993, it is a longitudinal efficacy study to evaluate two family-focused interventions, Guiding Good Choices and Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14, designed to prevent adolescent substance abuse and other problem behaviors. Multimethod, multi-informant measurement procedures were employed for collecting data when participants were at 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grades.